Nabi becomes second Afghanistan bowler to complete 150 ODI wickets
Veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi completed 150 ODI wickets during the third ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram. Although Afghanistan lost the last ODI, they won the series 2-1. Nabi didn't have the best outing with the bat as the visitors were skittled for only 126 in 45.2 overs. However, he scalped a wicket and reached the landmark of 150 ODI wickets. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Nabi has been a pillar in Afghanistan cricket over the years. He made his ODI debut in 2009 against Scotland and has been a regular for the Afghans in all three formats of the game ever since. He has worked relentlessly to put Afghanistan on the cricketing map. Also, he is a potent all-rounder in limited-overs cricket.
Second-highest wicket-taker for Afghanistan in ODIs
Nabi became the second Afghanistan bowler to complete the landmark of 150 ODI wickets. Only Rashid Khan has reached this figure before him. The all-rounder is also the second-highest wicket-taker for Afghanistan in ODIs and is only behind Rashid, who has scalped 167 wickets in ODIs. The only other Afghanistan bowler to claim 100-plus wickets in this format is Dawlat Zadran (115).
Second-highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in ODIs
Nabi is a true all-rounder who has been effective with bat and ball. The 38-year-old has amassed 3,046 runs in 142 ODIs at an average of 27.44. Nabi only became the second Afghan batter to score 3,000 runs in ODIs after Rahmat Shah (3,191), who leads the run tally for the Afghans in this format. Nabi owns 15 fifties and a solitary century.
20th cricketer with this ODI double
Nabi became the 20th cricketer to own the ODI double of 3,000-plus runs and more than 150 wickets in this format. He is among the few spinners on this list. The others are Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Carl Hooper, Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, and Sachin Tendulkar. Notably, he became the first Afghanistan cricketer to enter this elite list.
How did the match pan out?
Batting first, Afghanistan were off to a poor start. Shoriful Islam was hostile and dominated Afghanistan. He troubled the batters and claimed four wickets. Only Azmatullah Omarzai (56) put up a fight for Afganistan. Ultimately, the visitors were reduced to 126 in 45.2 overs. Bangladesh too lost Mohammad Naim and Najmul Hossain Shanto initially, but Litton Das and Shakib got them home.
